Wide beam has always been a problem with trimarans, and the Float Connection Assemblies as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,166 have solved this with a simple and effective method of retracting the stabilizing floats of trimaran to be alongside the center hull for trailering, or for docking in a standard marina slip. This system is now widely used.
However, a problem with marina docking has been underwater marine growth on the retracted float's sides. This can be overcome by varying the folded geometry of the Float Connection Assemblies as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,166, but the folded geometry required for lifting the float highher or positioning it at a better angle to avoid marine growth will then make the folded beam too large for legal trailering.
The float can be raised higher in the water by merely partially extending the floats of a trailerable trimaran with the described normal Float Connection Assemblies, but to lift or change the angle of the float sufficiently enough to avoid marine growth requires more beam than is usually allowable in a standard size slip.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved Float Connection Assembly that will overcome the above and other disadvantages. In particular, it is an object of this invention to provide a Float Connection Assembly that will allow retraction of the floats to a trailering width, yet offer a simple conversion procedure that will allow movement of the floats to a more suitable position for marina docking, the float being higher, or angled more favorably, to prevent marine growth on the float sides, but without creating an excessive overall beam.